Text Box: ##Anyone old enough to remember “Little Big Books” will recognize some of the elements in Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret... His account of the adventures of a twelve-year-old boy hiding out in the cavernous bowels of the Paris railroad station involves both a “motion” picture and narrative approach. By using the thumb of one’s hand, one could permit the pages of one of the little books to move rapidly creating a movie-like series of pictures and, at the same time, relate a story Brian Selznick does considerably more in this very unusual and exciting adventure story A large portion of the 300 pages of his work contains full page graphic illustrations which vividly enhance and replace the narrative. A chase scene comes alive before the eyes of the reader through a series of dramatic stills. Emotions of fear and suspense are powerfully conveyed by the drawing and highlighting of the human anatomy, especially the eye. The reader is swept along as Hugo survives one close call after another in his attempt to unravel the secret of an “automaton“ Selznick’s work appeals to both young and old and especially to those who fondly remember seeing their first movie. The idea of creating dreams is timeless , and in the concluding pages of his work the author pays tribute to some of the early pioneer dream makers.

Reviews

Shrine in Japan

SpryPlace’s Haiku Contest!

No self-respecting electronic publication could resist the temptation of offering its readers the opportunity to enter a prestigious HAIKU CONTEST! Even the National Geographic magazine featured the Japanese haiku in one of its recent issues. Our contest will welcome both original and favorite haikus from its readers which will be judged by a panel of highly respected literary experts. In turn Spry's editors will guarantee appropriate recognition in a forthcoming issue. Just imagine how proud you'll be when you tell the other gals down at the Laundromat or the guys at your favorite watering hole that your haiku was selected.

There will be no entry fees It will be a legitimate contest, not the kind where people actually send in money along with a phony bio to get their names printed in Who's Who. Would you believe that the people in New Hampshire were not the only ones to send in money.


There will not be any serious restrictions on entries The haiku should reflect somewhat on the human condition, make an observation about the natural world, cast some light upon life in general-or just be plain fun to write. Some of the original haikus made observations on the moods of the four seasons.


The general structure was a seventeen-syllable piece, roughly arranged with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second line, and five syllables in the last line. Since there has always been some difficulty in translating the Japanese to English in terms of syllable count, we shall not quibble about a stray sound here and there. So go ahead and get busy-there's no limit on entries! Here are a couple of examples:



If anyone should ask                                                      Hear that fat frog there
Tell them he had some business                               On the lilly pad singing bass
In another world.                                                                        He's the boss!

Like an icicle                                                                                       
Melting slowly in the warm sun                                
Old differences dissolve                                                           

To submit your entry, send an email with Haiku Contest in the subject line

to :  enmorse@comcast.net

 
Text Box: SpryPlace’s First Haiku Submission: The Sweet Hereafter SpryPlace

 Enjoy the spirit of the spry inside all of us.
George McGovern

The author, George McGovern, reads his haikus to his grandson, who loves it!

George McGovern’s Book Club Reviews

 
A Confederacy of Dunces

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

 Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The Dial Press, 2008, 274.pp.

 

Every once in awhile you see a book title which grabs your attention. It often happens that after a few pages you drop the book in disappointment  Not so with "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society." The author  gradually draws you in until you can't drop the book and you want to read on rather than take time off to eat

 

Through a series of friendly correspondence you learn of the existence of the inhabitants of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands between the coasts of France and England during its occupation by the German army during a five-year period in World War II. Despite what apparently appears to be the loose structure in the exchange of letters between the author, her friends, and the fascinating characters on Guernsey, you soon discover that you are reading historical fiction at its best.

 .

The men, women and children on the island struggle to survive under their ruthless captors, inventing  ways to cope with bravery, humor and cleverness. The author and the reader develop tremendous empathy for the islanders and are drawn closer and closer to them. There is even time for a budding romance for the author and a unique exchange of reading material in the "literary society."

 

One of the characters in particular becomes a heroine on a grand scale. The reader is desperate by the novel's end to learn of her fate. The reader also learns the ingredients of a Potato Peel Pie, a favorite dish of the members of the literary society.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

  I can see those Ruskies

  And they can see me

  Good we have the Bering Sea  

                                                                            ~Anonymous

The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks

Our reading club of five males and nine females, ranging in age from 30 to 70, found The Sweet Hereafter powerful and thought provoking.

The first-person narrative style gives the reader an on-the-scene, vivid view of the action.  Four characters, a middle-age housewife, a grieving father, a successful New York attorney, and a paralyzed, pretty teen-ager, experience the powerful emotions of fear, anger, love, loathing, desire, and greed. There are two terror-filled moments as well as a desire for revenge as they try to cope with a terrible tragedy which affects everyone in a small village in upstate New York. The reader can accept the surprise ending as justification. 

Our club members, however, grappled with the significance of the novel’s title. One idea was that a line uttered by the middle-age woman near the end of the novel containing “the sweet hereafter” was an ironic comment on what life would be like in aftermath of the tragedy. Our club members would welcome your opinions.

 A rewarding reading experience***

A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole

This novel introduces you to Ignatius J. Reilly, a brilliant, loud, opinionated, obese, grotesquely-dressed, thirty-plus-year-old character with disgusting personal habits. He lives with his mother Irene who keeps a bottle of Muscatel in the oven of their tiny apartment.

 You also meet Lana Lee, the porno-pedaling proprietress of the Night of Joy bar; Jones, her black janitor, who with a second-grade education possesses more knowledge of the judicial system and inter-racial relations than any member of the Supreme Court; and Darlene, her bar girl who is developing an exotic dance act along with her trained cockatoo for the seedy patrons of the bar.

 Other characters include Angelo Mancuso, an incompetent patrolman who gets permanently assigned to the bath room at the bus station; Myrna Minkoff, Ignatius’ girl friend in New York who believes that the sex act can cure any of the maladies facing mankind; and a host of other equally fascinating characters

Set this brood down in the French Quarter and back streets of colorful New Orleans and write rich, authentic dialogue while they encounter one laugh-til-you cry situation after another and you have one of the funniest novels ever written about contemporary life in America. Mark Twain would be proud. I kid you not!            An unforgettable reading experience.